Such a cute and unique graphic novel! I loved the art and the whole concept! I particularly enjoyed Snap's time with Jacks!

This book was amazing. Snapdragon is just a girl looking for her dog. She just knows the witch took them and will eat the dog if she doesn’t get there fast enough. But Snap is not afraid of any witch. She actually befriends Jacks, and learns more about her own history. This book has everything. It has all sorts of representation and none of it feels pushed. It is so full of love and heart that you just want to hold it and dance around the room. This book was perfect and I am ashamed it took me so long to read.

This did not work on my device when I first received a copy, but I borrowed it from the library finally. I read it and loved it. Such a cute graphic novel. I would definitely recommend this to any middle schooler.

(Unfortunately, I no longer has access due to title being archived before I was able to read it. I am still interested and purchased for my school library. Will update review once copy arrives and I've read it.)

This was a really fun, diverse graphic novel. And yay for having a pit bull in the story! This will be a great one for middle schoolers.

Love it! A sweet story about a girl called Snapdragon who befriends the town's supposed witch, Jacks - an old ex-biker who sells the skeletons of roadkill online...and is also, definitely a witch, who can fly and see ghosts and everything. Jacks begins to teach Snap how to articulate the skeletons of roadkill and how to do magic. I loved everything about this graphic novel: the colors, the style of illustration, Snap, her BFF Lu, her three-legged dog, Good Boy, her mom Vi, Jacks and her lost love Jessamine...I love it. I love it. Read it now.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the story but I really did love it. The characters, the representation, and the magical elements. Snapdragon was a fun and energetic character which I loved!

When Snapdragon Bloom goes looking for her missing dog, she befriends the town witch and finds more than magic within herself.

There's a rumor that a witch lives in a house on the outskirts of town, but when Snapdragon's dog Good Boy goes missing, she dares to look for him there. Sure enough, the dog is there, but he's been injured and is missing a front paw. When the rumored witch returns, she tells Snap that the dog was hit by a car and she patched him up.

Snap is a fierce, fearless, precocious black middle schooler not afraid to take on bullies, often standing up for her neighbor and best friend Lu, who is also black and transgender. Living in a trailer park, Snap is the only child of a mother who must work lots of hours to support them, and who is also getting her degree at night. Good Boy belonged to an old boyfriend who was abusive but is now gone, though he does appear twice in this novel.

When Snap finds a litter of possum joeys beside their dead mother, she brings them to the "witches" house, hoping they can be saved. The witch turns out to be an older white lady named Jacks, who is more connected to the world than first impressions would give. Jacks collects roadkill, which she buries, then after they decompose, she cleans the bones and reassembles them, selling the skeletons online.

Creeped out, but also fascinated by Jacks' work, Snap talks her into letting her help take care of the joeys. As a friendship develops between Snap and Jacks, Snap becomes interested in learning more about the skeletons articulated. Snap is also convinced that Jacks really is a witch who uses magic to release the souls of the dead animals back to nature. And as they get to know each other even better, it turns out they have a history of family connections that go back a few generations. So maybe if Jacks can do magic, so can Snap, or at least, that's what Snapdragon hopes.

In the world of graphic novels, Snapdragon is in a class of its own, what you might call a mixed bag. There are magical elements, a mix of humor and sadness, social and social justice issues, marginalized characters, LGTBQ and gender-bending elements, domestic abuse, the roadkill creepiness factor which spikes and just as quickly falls, all wrapped up in a really unusual story.

What I really loved was the way these generally serious topics unfolded so organically throughout the novel, but without lessening any of their importance. Leyh also gives Snap a support system, family and friends who have her back, that gives her the confidence to be unique herself. I also liked the fact that with the last name Bloom family tradition is to name all the girls after flowers, a seemingly unimportant detail that ends up playing an important part in the story.

The author also did all the art work for Snapdragon. Each vivid full color cell is clear and bright, even the darker cells, and color works to add more and more layers to the story. And Leyh has also really captured her character's many moods and feelings through their facial expressions, especially Snap's.

Snapdragon is a wonderfully engaging graphic novel for middle graders who are looking for something good but different.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+

(I ended up waiting to finish reading this title until I could get my hands on the physical book because the image resolution wasn't quite good enough in the e-ARC. So, my comments were delayed because of this.)

I loved the originality of the plot and characters in this title. There were so many characters to cheer for and the job of both taking the bones from deceased animals and creating models from them as well as honoring the spirit of the animals was lovely. I liked that Snapdragon's male friend's desire to wear feminine clothing was just accepted by Snapdragon and her mother.

A fun, touching magical realism story. I had no idea what to expect with this one, even as I was reading it, and I ended up finding it really enjoyable.

I've fallen head over heels in love with Snapdragon and the world she inhabits. Kat Leyh has a great eye for panel composition and colors; her art is stunning while simultaneously conveying so much movement and emotion. The characters are diverse and fun and seem like the kind of people you would want to get to know. I hope that there's more for Snapdragon, and I'm willing to follow Kat Leyh on any adventure she wants to take me on next!

Sweet and heartwarming, Snapdragon is a force to be reckoned with. All of the characters are three-dimensional and being set in a small town with lots of diversity is a plus. I loved the Witch Boy series, and I feel this goes a step farther into looking at the many degrees of LGBTQIA. The fantasy in the book really adds to the accessibility for younger audiences who don't want a story centered on an issue.

For fans of Witchy and The Okay Witch, this book will be loved by middle graders who enjoy magical or alternate reality universes. The artwork was gorgeous and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a print copy to see how it turns out when fully published.

I went into this not really knowing what to expect and it completely blew me away. This book is incredibly diverse and raises interesting thoughts about determining who we are as individuals.

I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork; sometimes pretty, sometimes amazingly ugly. The storyline and characters were what blew me away. This has some sad parts, for example, all of the roadkill, but it does have a "circle of life" type of vibe to it. The magic system wasn't really explained, for example, who has it and is it a skill that anyone can develop or only those who have the ability can develop if they try? No clue.

Due to the artwork and the not overly understandable magic system, I would say this is 3.5 stars. Rounded down, because if I have pictures, I want them to be consistent. Also the ending, while HEA, was a tad on the unrealistic side for me. It kind of drew me out of the book. I did like it, it made me smile, but it didn't feel realistic, if that makes any sense. I'm not talking about the second-chance lovers, that was AWESOME, but the best friend with the almost bully older brothers being ok with his transformation. That seemed a tad too pat to me. 3, amazingly diverse and heart-warming ending, stars. Due to the subject matter involving the dead animals, I would say this is better for older middle grade on up.

My thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I loved every second of this book and it just kept getting better and better! Writing this review is a struggle, because every other sentence, my brain is just, “Wow! So good! Amazing! And this!”

Our heroine is Snapdragon “Snap” Bloom (who is totally awesome) and we meet her rescuing her dog from the town witch. When she finds some orphaned baby possums, Snap goes to the witch for help and ends up becoming the woman’s apprentice in her real life business of selling roadkill skeletons online. But wait! There’s more! And it’s so good! Read it!!!

One of the big themes of this book was that first impressions are not the whole experience. I can’t tell you how many times, I thought I knew where the book was going and then was completely thrown by the next twist! It was like suddenly seeing the story from a new angle and getting a more multifaceted view of the characters and the story that you didn’t realize was there. I so appreciated all of those layers, but don’t want to spoil your reading experience, so I’m going to stop there.

And the connections! I loved watching Snap get to know Jacks and Lu (bonding over their love of scary movie franchises), plus her relationship with her mom—ugh, so great! The character sketches in the back of the book describe Snap as “perpetually grumpy kid” and, oh god, I loved it SO MUCH. She is grumpy! And has these super expressive eyebrows! And the reaction shots! I’m a huge fan of overexaggerated reaction shots. It’s so satisfying to see the legit jaw-dropping shock on someone’s face or to see them overwhelmed by cuteness, but then to have that moment frozen in time? Mmm. Perfection.

Full disclosure: with any book I read now, I’m on the lookout for how diverse and inclusive the book is. I loved that majority of characters in Snapdragon were black and that the book explored different queer experiences. AND neither of those aspects were centered as the main conflict or cause of extreme distress in the story. The book doesn’t ignore any of the characters’ struggles that might be related, especially in relation to queer identities, but the book doesn’t dwell on characters suffering because of their identity. One of the characters is trans, and the other *important* characters automatically accept and respect her (there are bullies, but they get their comeuppance). More importantly, at one point, she mentions having conversations with her parents and how they’ve gotten books from the library and that, even though they can’t afford to give her a whole new wardrobe, they’ll let her choose her own clothes going forward. Those panels are brief, but I think they’re so important.

tl;dr READ THIS BOOK.

*Thank you to NetGalley and First Second for providing a digital copy.*

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself. It is currently scheduled for release on February 4 2020.


Snap's town had a witch. At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online—after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too. They make a deal: Jacks will teach Snap how to take care of the baby opossums that Snap rescued, and Snap will help Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to get to know Jacks, she realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic—and a connection with Snap’s family’s past.

Snapdragon was so much more than I expected. When I first started reading I thought I was going to get a typical story about a young adult dealing with fitting in and finding friends, with a dose of not judging a book by its cover. That is all there along with so much more. Snapdragon is trying to find her place in a new school and makes a friend that is struggling to find their place just as much as she is. Being yourself and standing up for yourself and others is fully in play here and very well done. I was worried that the town witch story line was going to by typical, but I should have known better. Jacks is different, no question about that. I loved watching Jacks and Snap forge a connection and each get more out of the friendship than they expected. I really enjoyed how frank and openly the LGBT aspects of the story were handled- it was refreshing. I loved the art style, and think that the colors and motion on each page added a great deal to the feel of the story. I just really enjoyed this read and already have a few young readers that I would like to recommend it to.

Snapdragon is a great graphic novel for middle grade and older readers. I love the way a variety of subjects were covered and blended together. It is a wonderful read.

I loved this story of a girl and her friend, the "roadkill" witch. It's so weirdly beautiful. There isn't anything I didn't like, it checks all my boxes and is thus entirely inclusive in every way. I'd give it ten stars if I could, mostly cause I worked "thus" into a review.

Thank you NetGalley and First second books for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself.

Snap's town had a witch.

At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online—after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too.

They make a deal: Jacks will teach Snap how to take care of the baby opossums that Snap rescued, and Snap will help Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to get to know Jacks, she realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic—and a connection with Snap’s family’s past.

This was a neat graphic novel showcasing a beautiful friendship.
Road kill and magic - what more would kids want? Loved it!

I received an advanced copy of Snapdragon from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
 
There’s no such thing witches, or so Snap believes.  But there most certainly is something going on at the mysterious house down the road.  The other kids at her school say that the woman who lives there collects roadkill, and so when Snap finds a dead possum mother surrounded by its litter, she has no choice but to take her chances with the so-called-witch, to see if anything can be done.  Soon, Snap begins to grow closer with the mysterious woman, and finds out that she has ties to Snap’s family that she never could’ve expected.  Maybe she didn’t believe in witches before, but Snap’s world is about to be full of more magic than ever before.
 
Kat Leyh is one of my favorite graphic novel authors and illustrators, and she completely met my expectations with her latest work: Snapdragon!  This book has magic, ghosts, and an uplifting message about found family and acceptance.  It’s discussion of trans-identities is particularly vital, and is something I haven’t seen before in a graphic novel.  I was enchanted by her magical world and her passionate characters. 
 
You can get your copy of Snapdragon ‪on February 4th‬ from First Second Books!
 
My Recommendation-
If you have been on the hunt for your next amazing graphic novel, Snapdragon is the book for you! The quick-paced narrative and magic would suit fans of Lumberjanes, The Prince and the Dressmaker or Mooncakes!

I can see why this is a Junior Library Guild selection! The art is great, the inclusion of a biracial lesbian romance is excellent, one of the main characters is a witch who re-articulates animal corpses. Basically, this book is going to fly off the shelves.